Cherry Pie and Secrets
by WhisefoohL
Summary: Hostage situation plus dangerous secrets kept from friends equals Trouble.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I own nothing, except the plot. Review please! It makes my day.

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Ian Howe signaled his men Aaron and Marcus to move to either side of the back door of Ben and Abigail's mansion. He had different henchmen than when they were finding the templar treasure, since those men had had their fill of excitement. Now he had to rely on these two idiots to accomplish what needed to be done. What needed to be done was to break in to his old friends' mansion and get his long awaited revenge. Because of them, he had to spend those precious six months in jail. A hostage situation in exchange for his fair share of the treasure. He'd noticed three nice cars parked in front of the house, so he assumed the kid, Riley was his name, was visiting. Even more leverage was that a car that had to have been Patrick Gates's.

He gave the signal and Marcus began to pick the lock. When it clicked unlocked, Ian pushed his way through. Much to their surprise, an alarm sounded. "Now we've got to do this quick." They ran through the home and into the main corridor. Just as they rounded the corner, Ben attempted to smash them over the head with a baseball bat. Ian grabbed the weapon before it could do any damage. Then he used the baseball bat to choke Ben.

"Ian," he wheezed. "What are you trying to do?"

"You are going to tell everyone it was a bird or something."

When the chokehold was relieved, Ben said, "It's okay, just a bird smashing through a window." Ian led Ben to where he heard voices. The two henchmen were in tow. They stopped at the room where the rest of the dinner party was settling back in. Abigail was preparing the dessert that Ben knew they probably wouldn't have a chance to eat. Riley was explaining to Patrick and Emily, though not in a way any one but he could understand, the method in which they should hook up a security system that even he couldn't break. "I still recommend you get a dog too." Ben overheard him say. He was starting to doubt the effectiveness of security systems, as he was being held hostage.

"Now, any funny business and someone's going to get hurt." Ian, Ben trudging along beside him, stepped into the room. His henchmen followed. "No one move, or I'll blow his brains out." Everyone complied. Aaron and Marcus attempted to gather up the group and have them all sit on the floor in the kitchen. When Riley politely refused, as Ben had a feeling he would, Marcus got out his gun and held it to Riley's head.

"Okay, okay. My word!" Riley quickly scuttled over to the kitchen and sat next to Abigail. She comfortingly rubbed his arm. Ben was shoved forward and sat on the other side of Abigail.

"Wow, I've really missed you guys. How's all that treasure suiting you?" Ian asked.

"What do you want, Howe?" Ben asked, though he already knew the answer.

"What do you think?"

"A nice chat with old friends and some delicious apple pie?" Riley inquired in his usual sarcastic tone.

"Always the charmer." Ian turned to his henchmen. "He'll be the first to go," he said intentionally audibly. Abigail reached over and squeezed Riley's hand. "No, I'm here for the treasure you cheated me out of."

"We didn't cheat you out of anything! You were going to leave us for dead, you DID leave us for dead," Patrick argued. "It's your own thick head that cheated you out of that treasure." Ian made a move.

"Dad, stop it," Ben said. "No one has to get hurt here. We gave the treasure to the public."

"After you bought this quaint little home. And you Mr. Poole, what's a guy like you doing with a car like yours?" Ian leaned casually against the counter. "I don't care if you have to rob every museum you donated to, you are going to get it all back."

Just then, the phone rang. "Well, answer it." Abigail got up and picked it up.

"Hello?" Ian reached and put it on speakerphone.

_"This is the police. An alarm was set of at your home, is everything alright?"_Ian gestured for her to lie.

Ben looked over and saw a look in Riley's eyes. He knew his young friend was going to sacrifice himself to alert the voice on the phone what was going on. He put his hand over Riley's mouth. He looked at Ben and rolled his eyes.

"Everything's fine. An accident. That's the last time I forget my key! I'm sorry about the trouble," she continued.

_"Are you sure, ma'am?"_ the voice on the other end of the line persisted.

"I'm sure, thank you. Have a nice night," Abigail ended.

_"You too, ma'am."_ She clicked off the phone. Ben motioned for her to come sit down. When she did, Ben put his arm around her.

"This can be easy, if you let it be," Ian said. "When you figure out how to get me my money, you guys are free to go. Until then, you're mine." With that, Ian left the room.

"Bye now," Riley said, waving with mock friendliness. Aaron and Marcus followed Ian, both kicking Riley on the way out.

"I suppose going out that door over there is too obvious," Patrick said, standing up. Just as he did, he saw a silhouette at the door. Ian had placed an armed henchman there.

"Yup," Riley said. "What now?"

"Let me think a minute," Ben said, standing up and pacing around the room. They sat in silence for a while. Emily was falling asleep in Patrick's arms, and Abigail was cleaning up their dinner. Ben had noticed after living with her that cleaning was her release. Riley sat against the refrigerator with his head in his hands.

As was his style, Riley broke the silence. "I'm hungry. Are we still having dessert? Please, Abi." He smiled.

"Sure, come here." Abigail got out the pie she'd prepared earlier. What else were they going to do? Might as well eat it.

Before they had a chance to enjoy the Pie, Ian and his men came back in the room. Riley was in mid bite. "Figured it out?"

"There is no way to get your money. It's impossible," Ben concluded.

"That's not good enough. You're going to find a way. I recommend you guys get some sleep. I'll escort you to the bedroom." They all stood up, 'helped' by Aaron and Marcus. Riley tried to carry the yet uneaten cherry pie out, but Ian snatched it out of his hands and set it on the counter. He put his hand on the back of Riley's neck and guided him into the spare bedroom.

Emily and Patrick were getting into bed, and Abi and Ben were laying out blankets on the floor. Ian shoved Riley in, causing him to fall to the floor. "Sleep tight." He left the room and closed the door.

"Of course they would lock us in the one room without a way out," Ben sighed. He looked at his parents, who were already asleep. "I guess we might as well get some rest," he said, getting up and handing Riley a blanket and a pillow. Riley took them and laid them out on the floor.

It grew silent as, one by one, everyone fell asleep. Everyone but Riley. Something wasn't right. He could feel something coming.

What's worse is that it's not a foreign feeling. It was far too familiar. He felt his head tilting to the right. This is how they always began. Why hadn't he taken his meds? He felt his muscles contracting all at once. Why did they have to be like this? Why did he have to feel it? The twitching continued, until finally someone noticed.

"Riley?" It was Emily. "Oh my goodness, what's wrong?" It looked as though he was having a seizure! "Ben, wake up!" Emily was now kneeling on the floor, not sure what to do.

Man, these seizures last forever! Never this bad though. Now he heard Ben at his side.

"What's going on?" Patrick asked, waking up.

"Riley's having some sort of seizure!" Abigail said, worried.

"Not again!" Patrick ran over and lifted up Riley's head, stroking his hair back. "Almost over. You're doing great." He whispered to the young man. Everyone sat in amazement. "See, it's almost over. There we go, all over." Riley's body finally stopped its movements, and he lay still, breathing heavily.

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TBC

A/N: I've got more written, just wanted to see what everyone thinks.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Wow! I love reviews. Here's the next chapter. Still don't own anything.

J.M. Captein: I really really like that idea you had! I hadn't planned on it, but I like it a lot.

Everyone else: thank you so much for reviews. YAY.

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Chapter 2

"What was that?" Abigail asked, worried.

"He had a seizure," Patrick explained. "It was worse than the last one." Riley made to sit up. "Slow down, kiddo." He helped him sit up against the wall.

"Hey, buddy," Abigail smiled at the now exhausted Riley. His eyes slowly focused on her.

"Can I have some apple pie?" he asked feebly. She smiled.

"Later."

"What caused it?" Ben asked. Riley rolled his eyes. Clearly no one was supposed to see this side of him. He was going to have to tell them, though. No choice.

"It's epilepsy. I get Clonic seizures sometimes. This last little _episode _was likely caused by stress," Riley explained. "I get them worse in stressful, or really negative situations." He paused. "But when I remember to take medications, I don't have a problem."

"What did you mean 'worse than the last one'?" Emily asked her husband, remembering what he'd said earlier, and how he knew exactly what to do.

"He had several at our house when he and Ben were growing up. (in this story, Riley and Ben grew up as friends, and Abigail knows). This only happens when he doesn't take his meds, like he said." He finished the sentence with a harsh look at Riley. "Why didn't you take your meds?" he asked.

"I didn't think it would hurt anything if I skipped a few days every now and then. I haven't had one in months, and they're getting really expensive. P.S. treasure hunting doesn't have the best insurance plan." He smirked. "I also didn't really consider dinner to be _high stress_."

"Why didn't you ever tell us you had epilepsy?" Ben asked, frustrated. He was finding it difficult to be angry, but being frustrated was tangible.

"It's like a flippen disclaimer. _Don't take Riley to Adventure Parks, and by NO MEANS is Riley to participate in treasure hunts and escapades that could result in danger_." He had said this last part in a somewhat hilarious impression of what sounded like a twelve year old girl who is narrating the warning labels on the sides of medication. "It just never came up, okay?"

"It's okay. I guess we should try to get some sleep. Ben and I will move over by Riley just in case it happens again," Abigail said, standing up.

Ben had expected Riley to complain about this attention, but he didn't. That worried him. This was serious. What really bothered him was that he had grown up with this kid as a neighbor, but had never known this.

They all settled in again. Ben and Abigail were laying a few feet from Riley. Riley was lost in thought. This sucks. He didn't want to say anything, but one is always followed by more. If he couldn't get to his meds, they would continue, getting worse and worse. He remembered the time he had refused to take the pills. It was right after his father committed suicide. Just thinking about it made Riley shudder. All along, he'd blamed himself, and thought that if his dad was in so much pain, because of him, he would have to suffer as well. So he would take out two pills a day and sneakily put them down the drain. The lack of medications, coupled with the intensity of not having his father anymore, led to several seizures a day, and he couldn't sleep at night. His mother had noticed, and soon deducted why. When she had confronted him, he had run away to Ben's house. For some reason, even across the street felt like miles away from the negativity of the house. It only took a few days before he realized how not worth it this little punishment trip of his was. So he returned home and began taking the stupid little pills again.

After about an hour, he realized he wouldn't be able to pretend that he wasn't going to have any more. His head got all fuzzy, and began tilting to the flippen right again. He waited for the sensation of having all his muscles contract at once, and when it came, it was an uphill battle to the end.

Ben noticed his friend, and quickly and quietly crawled over to him. Repeating what he'd seen his father do, they waited. He was careful not to wake anyone else, knowing how worried they would be. How long could this thing last? It was harder and longer than the last one, and that scared him. "All done, are you alright?" he whispered.

Riley nodded quickly. Man, he hated this. "Fine." Riley curled up, facing the wall, waiting for sleep, waiting for Ben to go back to bed. He didn't though. He sat right next to his friend, and Riley had a feeling he was under a scrutinizing eye. Ben wasn't going to sleep until he was sure Riley was. This sucked.

About every fifteen to 20 minutes, Riley would have another, and Ben was there for him the rest of the night. No one liked to see their friend in a state like this. Now, beads of sweat were arriving on Riley's forehead. These seizures were getting worse.

It was almost a relief when Ian came barging into the room what felt like days later. "Wakey, wakey," he said. He stood against the wall until every last one of his hostages was up. Riley was incredibly stiff, and he had to lean heavily on Ben for support. "What's wrong with him?" Ian asked, noticing the state of exhaustion Riley was in.

"Nothing. He's tired. We were up all night trying to figure out how to get you your money," Ben answered, pushing Riley off of him, forcing him to stand on his own. It was eminently important that Ian knew nothing of Riley's condition. Riley seemed to understand, doing his best to act normal.

"Couldn't think of anything, since, well, it's impossible!" Only Riley could still be obnoxiously sarcastic after a night like last. Ian rolled his eyes.

"Nothing's impossible for the legendary Benjamin Gates," he said with a malicious look. "I know you'll find a way. We made you breakfast, come on." Aaron and Marcus herded the group of hostages into the kitchen, where it was apparent that they had indeed made breakfast.

There was bacon on the table, as well as a bowl of scrambled eggs, and 10 pieces of toast, buttered. No one felt right about this. "Go on, it's not poisoned. Why would I kill off the only people who can get me my money? I want you to be at your top mental capacity, and they always said good breakfasts can help that." Riley seemed to believe him, because he sat down at the table and grabbed a piece of bacon.

"Riley," Abigail scolded.

"What? I'm hungry!" he argued. "Now really, like he said, why would he kill us off?"

Slowly, everyone trusted enough to eat the delicious breakfast on the table. Ben made a point to sit next to Riley, knowing that his seizures wouldn't stop just because the sun was up.

Surprisingly, it wasn't for another hour that he began acting funny. They were all now in the family room, brainstorming on methods of escape, and methods of compliance. No breakthroughs.

"Ben, I've got to use the rest room, where is it?" Riley asked, knowing he didn't have long. He showed him to the rest room, guided by Aaron. They both knew that Riley was alone for this one. Ben was more scared than Riley was though, having grown up with it like that.

After a couple minutes, Aaron informed Ben that he wasn't needed, and sent him back to the family room. It was a little while longer until Riley and his escort returned. They couldn't keep doing this every time. They had to figure something else out.

TBC


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Nope, still don't own anything. Thanks for all the reviews! Here's the next chapter. I have to admit, I'm a little stumped. I know where I want to go with it, but I can't figure how they are going to, or not going to, get him his money. I'll figure it out though.

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Chapter 3

Riley was busily hacking into all the museums they had donated to, but getting no where. He wasn't sure whether they were actually going to try to get him his money, or if they were biding their time. Either way, Riley didn't care.

"Hey, Riley, getting anywhere?" Ben asked. He and Abigail had been brainstorming, coming up blank. Riley shook his head. Then it clicked. How easy would it be to get an SOS to someone on the outside? He looked to see where Ian was; safely on the other side of the room, chatting with Aaron and Marcus. Perfect.

Opening up a new window, he looked up Sadusky's email. Locating it on the FBI home page, he opened up the contact tab. How could he make sure it would get straight to Sadusky, and not be shuffled in with the junk mail? He would have to hack into another agent's email account, and send it directly from there. He located the target. Agent Craig; he recognized him from past encounters. Anyone watching would have had no idea how he was doing it. Some clever computer mumbo-jumbo.

Completely entranced in what he was doing, Riley didn't notice Ian now reading over his shoulder. "You better not be trying to contact the police," he said, even though he knew exactly what his young hostage was attempting to do.

Riley knew he was caught, might as well have fun with it. "Nope, the FBI." A sharp smack upside the head followed. He knew he'd regret that.

"Like I said. Always the charmer." Ian sneered. "That was so clever I don't think I'll punish you. Well, actually. I lied." He picked Riley up by his jacket and dragged him away from the couch.

Riley was definitely not going to like this. "Watch it. This jacket cost me forty bucks!" Crap. Darn him and his stupid witty mouth. He just couldn't stop! Maybe this would teach him. Ian handed him off to his henchmen, who looked far to excited about this.

"Don't hurt him!" Abigail screamed. This whole thing just escalated to a whole new level. Despite everyone's complaints, Aaron and Marcus were already beating Riley to a pulp.

Dang he'd wished he'd taken the karate his mom had tried to sign him up for. In two feeble attempts fight back, he was on the ground. It didn't end. One kick to the ribs after another, one blow to the face after another. He tried to crawl away, but Marcus's foot connected with his rib cage one last time, sending him flying.

"That's enough. Maybe that will teach them that cheating will not work." Ian and his henchmen left the room.

Everyone ran over to where Riley lay face down on the linoleum. "Are you alright?" Abigail asked frantically. Riley would have responded, but didn't get a chance. His head tilted to the right. "Oh gosh, it's happening again!" she looked at Ben, who had a not so surprised look on his face.

"He's had quite a few since the first one. While you were sleeping," Ben informed her. "Stay with him, I'll go distract Ian." Ben got up and went out the door that Ian had just exited.

Abigail took Riley's writhing body and held it weakly in her arms. "It's alright, I'm here," she whispered. Patrick and Emily gave them space, and went to sit on the couch.

She smells good. Riley wondered how, since she's been stuck here all night. Weird. Man, this one sucks like none other. It's never been this intense. It's never been this bad. When will it end?

"I know, it's alright." She held him closer as the movements became more sever, and Riley's grimace grew more pained. "Shh. Almost over," she said, though she doubted that. It was getting worse, not better.

He couldn't breath. If this one didn't end soon, he doubted if he would make it. Dramatic, but this one was affecting everything, his brain, his nerves, and it felt like all his organs were being twisted apart. He felt tears streaming down his face. Crap.

After what felt like hours, it subsided. She continued to hold him close, leaning her head against the cabinet. Abigail couldn't stand to see Riley in this much agony. He's always been the comic relief, the one who never showed emotions. Except that time they were in the treasure room, and he saw the stair to safety. She smiled, remembering it.

Riley sat in silence, not wanting to move. He was so comfortable, safe. He couldn't stay there forever, he soon realized, hearing Ben's over-exaggeratedly loud voice coming towards the door. "Well never mind! I thought it was a FINE idea. At least let my parents out! Here, now that we're back, just look how exhausted they are." Man, was he good at making a scene. Like at Buckingham Palace, but nothing could top that one. Riley slowly sat up, moving away from Abigail, who was making her self busy examining the bruises now forming on Riley's face.

"Aw, how's our little Riley?" Ian asked with mock concern.

"Fine thank you," Riley said before he could stop himself. He was really going to have to learn to keep his mouth shut. He flinched as Ian raised a hand to him.

"Awe, I would never hurt you, little buddy," Ian sneered, laughing. "That's what my friends over there are for." He gestured towards Marcus and Aaron, who were standing just inside the door.

Riley had something very clever to say to that, but figured he would wait at least until his lip stopped bleeding. "No back-talk?" Ian asked incredulously. Well, you guys have lost computer privileges until I can figure out how to block dangerous sites. We don't want you guys talking to any one we don't want you to, you know." Ian and his henchmen left the room again, collecting the laptops on their way out.

He'd been pretending everything was alright for far too long. "Guys, I need to lie down. I think my ribs are broken, all of them," Riley said weakly. "Well, at least a few." Ben and Abigail attempted help Riley to the couch, but it turned into more of Ben dragging his friend to the couch. Carefully helping up onto it, Ben was now able to see the full extent of the beating. His face was scattered with small cuts and bruises, and he didn't even want to see the young man's torso, which had taken most of the beating.

Emily came over to see the extent of damage. "Oh my word." She was shocked. "Riley, can you try to stay with me?" she asked, pushing her son and his girlfriend out of the way. "Tell me what hurts the most."

"My stomach, and ribs, and my back. Well, mostly the whole torso area," Riley said weakly, though attempting to smile at his vague answer.

"I've got to have a look," Emily said sweetly, lifting his shirt slowly off his body. She gasped when she saw that it was covered in bruises, and a few of his ribs were sticking out in odd ways. "Well, that looks like it would hurt." She pulled his shirt back down and got up. "You'll be okay, though."

She reminded Riley of an old school nurse he'd had. She was the best, letting him come sit in her office when they were playing football in P.E.

"Abigail, why don't you see if there's something we can put together for some lunch," she said, walking over to the kitchen. Abigail got up and followed. When they were out of earshot, Emily leaned over to her future daughter-in-law. "His injuries aren't that serious, but probably not the most ideal circumstance. Time will tell the real extent, since most the damage could be to the inside. If there is any internal bleeding, there could be serious consequences.

The thought made Abigail sick. _Serious consequences_. That meant death. She looked over to her young friend. He was curled up in Ben's arms, clearly in the middle of another seizure. They had to get out of here.

The door opened, and that was a serious problem. Ian stepped in, and glanced to where the men were sitting. He did a double take, and walked over to where they were. Riley's body was still racked in a seizure, and there was nothing they could do to hide it this time.

"What's going on?" he asked.

Patrick stood up. "Nothing you need to be a part of," he said, regretting it when Ian's fist connected with his face.

"HEY! Don't touch my dad!" Ben said, making to stand up, but Riley's fists were permanently clenched around Ben's jacket and he couldn't get free. Ian stepped over to Riley, and looked intently.

"What is this? A seizure?" Ian asked. Ben nodded, not sure of what else he could do. It was coming to an end though, Riley's finger's releasing their death hold on the jacket.

"Why is he having one?" Ian pressed on.

"He has epilepsy. And he has been having seizures since you guys showed up. Good job. If you let him go, he can get to his meds, and maybe a hospital, and at least murder won't be on your list of charges when you get caught.

"Epilepsy, huh?" With that, Ian left the room.

Riley looked up at Ben, who looked back down at him. "Well, what's for lunch?" he asked, looking back up at Abigail and Emily in the kitchen. This definitely wasn't a good turn of events. Now Ian knew, and God knows what he was going to do with that information.

TBC


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Well, still own absolutely nothing. Enjoy!

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Chapter 3

Ian was pacing around the hall outside the great room where his hostages were. The kid had epilepsy. What was worse, or better, was that he desperately needed his meds. Now, the question was, how much did Ben care about his friend? How long would he let him suffer until he gave in? Let's go have some fun with this.

Riley was up on his feet, though leaning heavily on the kitchen counter. Tough kid. "What's for lunch?" Ian asked, walking up to the kitchen. Riley defensively took two steps away from him. "Smells like grilled cheese."

Abigail nodded, not sure why she didn't just grab their captor and slam his face down onto the hot griddle with the bread. "Sorry, don't have enough for you."

"That's quite alright. I've got your computers back for you. We'll have to chaperone you now, though," Ian said. Aaron set three laptops on the counter. "Now that that's taken care of, how are you feeling, Riley?" he asked.

Watch yourself. No witty comments this time, we all know where that would lead. "I'm okay." Good job, keep it simple.

"So, epilepsy? That must really suck, especially since you're stuck in here. Wow, I wonder how long you'll last," Ian said, smirking. "If I was your friend I wouldn't want to see you go through this."

"Shut up. You're the one keeping me here!" Riley argued, not looking at him. If he'd looked up, he would have seen the menacing grin. Ben did.

Ben stepped towards Ian, fists clenched. "Don't even think about it. You will NOT use my best friend to get your money. You WILL however let him go, if you know what's good for you. I can use him too. If you don't let him go, I won't get you more than a penny!" Wow that felt good. Now came the pain. Ian swung his fist into Ben's jaw, knocking him to the floor.

"Benjamin!" Emily scrambled to her son.

"I'm fine, Mom." Ben got up, stepping back to Ian. Ian chuckled. His smile was gone when Ben's fist connected with the side of his face. "I really am serious about this. Let Riley out, and my parents. After that, I'll get you your money."

"I can't do that, Ben. I like to think of it as, incentive," Ian answered matter-of-factly. "Now, you should get busy, or your friend may very well die in here." He gestured for them to use the computers. Ian left, but Aaron and Marcus stayed, clearly the chaperone's that had been mentioned earlier.

"I'll finish making lunch, and you guys go work on the computers," Abigail said. Ben picked up one of the laptops, and Riley and Patrick grabbed the other two. They headed over and set them up on the coffee table at the other end of the great room.

Ten minutes later, Abigail and Emily brought over the grilled cheese sandwiches. Patrick and Riley both ate theirs, Riley demolishing his in the time it took Patrick to pick his up. "Got anything yet?" Emily asked.

"Actually, Riley had a great idea. One that might actually work," Ben said, still not touching his sandwich. "When Riley hacks into the Smithsonian's main frame, he can authorize a fake tour that our items will be going on. We'll be able to intercept them on their way to a museum in, where did we decide?"

"Penn State University," Aaron said, looking intrigued at the process through which Riley was hacking into the 'Events' database. Emily and Abigail looked at him, surprised. "What? I find this very interesting."

"He's actually been quite helpful. You see, he can think like a bad guy," Patrick said, patting they're captor's shoulder. "Getting anywhere, Riley?"

"Yeah, I'm just…" and he went off in some kind of gibberish that he clearly assumed everyone understood. When he finished, he obviously expected some kind of feedback, because he looked like a hurt puppy when he looked up. "Does no one listen to me?"

"We tried. Honestly. I got lost some where around 'I'm just accessing …something_…onomatopotomas',_" Ben said, smiling. "I'm sure it all made since in your head."

"Well, it did," Riley said, looking back at his computer. "Hey, can I have some cherry pie for all my troubles?"

"I'll get it," Ben said, standing up. Abigail followed him. Things were finally looking up. Maybe they'd finally be able to enjoy some of this pie. When they reached the kitchen, Ben pulled Abigail close. She was laughing hysterically at the randomness of the situation. They were being held hostage, getting pie, and now Ben decided to be romantic.

They could hear Riley fake-gagging from the couch. Ben kissed Abigail's cheek. "Will you marry me?" he asked. Abigail froze, confused.

"What?"

"Will you marry me?" Ben asked again, louder. "I just figured now is as good a time as any."

"Well, yes…," Abigail answered, still slightly confused by the time and place her, fiancé, chose to propose. She busted out laughing, but the laughing stopped when Ben pulled her into a kiss.

"GROSS!" Riley whined. When they didn't hear him, he turned to Aaron. "Gag me," he said. Aaron nodded. Emily and Patrick were both now surrounding the couple in the kitchen.

Riley continued to work, not pleased with this turn of events. This little, engagement, meant marriage, and that meant kids, and that meant that Riley had seen the last of his Friday nights. _'Riley, we need a babysitter. Riley, could you come over and watch the kids? Riley, I hope you're free Friday night.'_ He could hear it now. After a few minutes, he could feel it coming again.

As always, his head was tilting to the right. Aaron noticed this. "Hey, there's something wrong with your friend!" he called into the kitchen. Marcus, who had sat in silence until then, stirred in his seat.

"What's wrong with him?" he asked.

My word they were stupid. Did they not even know what epilepsy was? Riley doubted it. Luckily, Abigail was at his side now.

She whispered comforting words to him. "Almost over." She doubted that. This one was the worst yet. She practically screamed when she looked at his face, contorted in pain. There was blood coming out of his mouth. "Ben!" she cried. But he had already noticed, coming over and lifting Riley's head further to ensure he didn't drown on it.

"He probably bit through his tongue," he said. Why wasn't Riley snapping out of it? All they could do was wait. Patrick and Emily were on the opposite couch, helpless. After five minutes of this, his seizure usually began to subside, but not this one. It was getting worse and worse with every minute.

"I'm here, I'm here," Abigail whispered to Riley, who was thrashing so much that she had to hold his arms down, for fear that he would hurt himself or someone else. It was easily ten minutes until it began to calm down.

Riley broke down into a coughing fit when it was finally over. Ben got up to get him some water, and Abigail took his place. Pulling Riley's practically limp body as close as she could, she wiped the blood off his face with her sleeve. He was curled up into the fetal position, and his eyes were burning with fresh tears.

TBC


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: Once again, I own nothing. Do I have to say that every time? Anyways, here's the next chapter.

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Chapter 5

Ben, Riley, and Patrick were again busy working out the kinks. Aaron was watching in awe once again at Riley's aptitude at the computer. The kid had already managed to hack into the main frame at the museum and scheduled the Templar exhibit to be moved. "Check one," he said, dramatically pushing the enter button, and by doing so, practically signing for the package.

No one else really was able to do anything productive, so they just pretended to. Patrick was explaining to Emily and Abigail what _'they' _were doing. Riley was butting in every two seconds to correct him, while at the same time, his fingers never stopping their incessant typing. Eventually the simple head shake at Patrick's mistakes sufficed.

"Go tell Ian I've got a way to get him his money," Ben instructed Marcus who was pacing by the door. He wasn't as friendly as Aaron had become.

Riley looked hurt, as he cleared his throat dramatically. "Excuse me, _you've_ got a way to get the money? Apparently you guys are just using me for my brains. Nothing more than a stepping stone to freedom. I see how it is."

Everyone laughed, though every mind in the room was trying to figure out how this same young man they'd seen writhing on the couch, was now making jokes, and smiling. A few minutes later, Ian came back in with Marcus. "So, I hear that Ben's got a way to get me the money."

Riley shook his head, not bothering to correct the man who held their lives in their hands. He was getting good at this game of holding his tongue when the situations were dire. "I've hacked into the main frame of one of the museums where our treasure is at. _They_ now have it scheduled for pick up by, Poole and Son's Transportation Company." He paused, laughing inwardly that that was his name. "So, all we need to do is find a truck suitable for hauling that large of a collection. We'll also need ID's saying that we're authorized to be transporting these artifacts." When no one offered to take care of this detail, Riley sighed. "I'll get the ID's, you can take care of the truck."

"Nice work. You guys are almost home free. Don't forget that I want it ALL back," Ian said, patting Riley on the head. This meant that they'd have to do the same thing all over again at three other locations. Well fine then.

"Will do!" Riley said, saluting Ian with mock sarcasm. Crap. He just couldn't stop himself. With a sharp smack upside the head, he learned his lesson. The question was, how long could he last with out needing a review?

"Just get it done." Ian left the room, and Marcus left, with one sickened look at his fellow henchman. He clearly didn't approve of his softer side.

It was completely silent, save for the constant typing and clicking coming from Riley's corner of the table. When the noises stopped, they would all look up at him, worried. He would roll his eyes and continue typing.

"Take a picture, it'll last longer," he finally said. He hated being worried about. "I'm fine, just pausing to let the computer catch up. This is one of the slowest computer's I've ever worked with. Should' a got a Mac." He spoke too soon, immediately after he'd just given that speech to prove he was alright, the twitching started again.

Ben noticed his friend's silent SOS, managing to intercept Riley's falling body before it connected with the floor. Abigail had one of Riley's hands, and the other was clenched so tight that his fingernails were digging far enough into his palm that it was drawing blood. Noticing that, Abigail managed to get Riley to hold her hand instead.

Riley couldn't remember any time when his seizures had been so bad as to involve blood. The occasional bit lip, but nothing like this. All he could do was wait, and hope they'd be out before the next one. It was really quite intriguing, being conscious during them. Not the pain and such that came with them, but wanting to say something or move intentionally, but having no way to do so. And seeing everyone else's reactions to him. He wished he could record what went on in his mind when they happened.

Ben didn't feel that words were really necessary. Just being there for Riley to cling to was enough. Abigail felt the same. Riley's face looked more, not contorted in agony, this time. It was so much more peaceful than the last that Emily was still asleep in her newly reacquainted husband's arms. She was soon awakened though by Abigail's exclamation of pain as she managed to squeeze her hands from Riley's subconscious grip.

This was weird. His mind was buzzing, as though a fly were flying around inside it. He could feel himself pushing so hard on the arm of the sofa that it was beginning to creak in protest. This one didn't feel right. Well, they never really felt right, but this one was worse. He couldn't think. The pain was overpowering him. He didn't even know what hurt him so much, but random pain was definitely not a good sign.

"Ben, there's something wrong. He's going to hurt himself," Abigail said. Riley was now thrashing about so wildly that he'd thrown himself off the couch, with Ben doing everything in his power to keep hold.

Emily was crying, and Abigail was beginning to. It was such a helpless feeling to see Riley like this, and to be able to do nothing.

Cherry pie. Man he could go for a slice of that right about now. It would definitely beat this. So would watching Lion King. That had to be the best Disney movie ever created! Wow, he was on the floor. And Abigail and Emily were crying. They could use a good Lion King viewing. And Cherry pie too. A la mode. That had to be his favorite French saying._With ice-cream_. If he'd said that out loud, he would have attempted a French accent.

Ian had noticed what was happening, and he walked casually over to them. "Wow, that doesn't look very fun. I bet he wishes he were at home, with his meds. You do know that you're the only person standing in his way of that?" he asked Ben.

"Actually, that would be you," Ben said, looking up. Riley was still writhing in his arms. It was finally slowing down though. "We're going to get you're treasure tomorrow. You don't need him any more. He's already set up all he can. Let him go."

"I need him for one more thing. You see, I don't really trust you. So, little Riley is going to serve as, a sort of insurance. To insure that you don't try any funny business," Ian said. "I think he can last one more day." Riley was now snapping out of it.

Ian left the room, taking with him Marcus and Aaron. Aaron gave an apologetic look on his way out the door.

"How you feeling?" Abigail asked the hazy Riley. Stupid question.

He looked up from the thread of carpet he'd been staring intently at. "I could do better if I had some cherry pie." The pie had long since gone bad though.

"Sorry, not yet," she said, smiling.

"Then how about The Lion King? Can I watch that?" This puzzled everyone. Riley didn't see why though. It made perfect since in his head.

TBC

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A/N: AH HA! Finally I know how to go about bringing resolution to this story. You'll just have to tune in to the next chapter to see what happens! 


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: Thanks again for all the awesome reviews! Sorry about the long wait, I was distracted by cheesecake, in all its many forms. Long story… anyhoo, maybe I'll be able to tie it all together in this chapter..or the next… Oh, I still own nothing.

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Chapter 6

It was just a few more steps in the process until everything was set up. Ben, Riley and Abigail were busily putting together the last few details, while Patrick and Emily were asleep on the other couch. This had been too much for them. This had been too much for all of them.

"And we have lift off in, Five…Four…Three…Two…and…One!" Riley clicked the final button standing between Ian and his money, and them and safety.

"That was dramatic," Abigail laughed at him. "But, if that's what works for you." Riley rolled his eyes.

"In fact, it does work. Okay?" Riley stood up, and walked over to the door. Sticking his head out a bit, he located Ian, talking on the phone a few yards away from him. "We're ready. Would you like us to brief you in the plans?" Ian looked over to him.

Riley walked back to the couch, followed by Ian. "I've got us four trucks. I thought that would be sufficient to hold the treasure," Ian informed them. "Now, what time are we scheduled for pick up?"

"Well, first we'll head to the first location, and pick up the treasure there. Next, we'll head to the second location and do the same. And so on and so fourth." Riley handed him a page with four addresses of museums in the area where the treasure was out. "I've also scheduled the portion of our treasure at Louvre to be picked up, but not for another week, since it's all the way in France." Ian nodded.

"Perfect. I'm surprised you guys figured it out that fast," Ian said. Looking at the clock, he realized how late it was. Nearly two in the morning. "You guys should probably get some rest. We've got a long day ahead of us." He got up and left. Aaron and Marcus hung back to escort them to the bedroom they'd been in the night before.

"Come on," Marcus forced them towards the door. They walked into the bedroom, and everyone stood, not wanting to go to bed, at least not here. Marcus was on his way out the door, but Aaron hung back.

"I'm gonna check something real fast," he said. He walked over to the window at the top of the far wall, far too small to get out. It didn't even open. Marcus nodded and left.

"I've decided to help you guys out. Tomorrow, I'll give a message to someone at the museum, and then they'll be able to get you out."

Ben shook his head, not knowing where to start, with thanks, or pointing out all the flaws in this plan. "Well, that's great, but I have a better idea. Can I borrow your phone?"

"Sure," Aaron said, pulling out a cell phone. "Who are you gonna call?"

"Someone with the power to do anything. The president of the United States of America," Ben said casually. Everyone kind of looked at him, confused.

"How, do you know how many people every day try to call him?" Riley said. "I mean, unless he gave you his private cell phone number, so you could call him at all hours of the night."

"Have faith, little one. He gave me his private number when I agreed to help him figure out page 47," Ben answered. Everyone kind of nodded in understanding. Everyone except Aaron.

"What's on Page 47? Page 47 of what?" he asked, confused.

Riley smirked. "You will never know, and neither will I. Ben likes keeping secrets. It makes him feel superior." Aaron nodded.

"Mr. President, it's Ben Gates. I'm borrowing someone's phone. Sorry about the hour. I need help. We're being held hostage. We will be arriving at the Museum of Natural History in New York City tomorrow, around 10 a.m. We need someone to stop the men driving the trucks there to pick up the Templar treasure for transport."

There was a pause, and everyone listened intently to the faint whisper of a voice, barely audible from the other end of the line. He should have put it on speaker phone. Ben was nodding.

"Thank you, Mr. President." He clicked off the phone, handing it back Aaron. "You better go, before you're missed. Thank you," he said.

Aaron left the room. Riley looked intently at Ben. "Well?" he asked.

"He's sending a team to save us tomorrow. He says not to worry," he answered. "Mom, Dad, get some sleep." They were sitting on the edge of the bed. They nodded, and crawled into bed.

Abigail was setting up a bed on the floor next to the bed. Everything had seemed to get a whole lot better. Now, they could look forward to rescue. Everyone was thankful. Ben helped his new fiancé spread out a blanket on the floor. Riley sat against the wall, and watched everyone settling down.

"Riley? Do you want a blanket? A pillow?" Emily asked, looking over from on the bed.

"Sure," he said, standing up to get the extra bedding she was offering him. "Thanks." He placed it on the floor near Ben and Abigail. Abigail smiled, noticing how little effort Riley had put into setting up the bed. He had simply slid down the wall, curled up with the pillow under his head, and lazily pulled the blanket up to his face. After just a few moments, he was sleeping.

Abigail then saw how young her young friend really was. He was like a child, but not in a bad way. She got up carefully and tiptoed over to where he was sleeping soundly. Quietly, she pulled the blanket so it actually did something to cover him. She watched him for a while. After about ten minutes of this surreal peace, something changed. He slowly curled into the fetal position, while trying to hold off the seizure. Abigail moved to behind him, and took his head in her arms.

Man, was he _ever_ tired of this. Every time he settled in, he was so rudely awakened. Thank goodness for Abi. Everyone else was asleep, and he didn't want to do this by himself. She was so calming, and comforting. She was going to make a good mommy.

"I've got you, it's alright," she whispered, stroking his head. How hard it must have been for his mother to see him like this. In fact, she was beginning to feel like a mother to him.

Riley's mind was working. He grinned inwardly when his brain was piecing things together. What if Ben and Abi were getting married because she was gonna be a mommy. Interesting. He'd have to remember to ask them awkwardly about it later. Right now, it was all he could do to keep from wanting to die. These things never got easier.

Ben stirred. "Is it Riley again, Abi?" he asked, opening his eyes.

"Yes. He's okay though. I've got him. Go back to sleep," she said. He didn't listen to her though, walking over and sitting next to her. "Or not," she said, smiling.

Ben watched his wife-to-be for a few minutes, waiting for their friend to stop writhing. He noticed that she definitely had a motherly air about her. This made him smile. "You're going to make a great mother," he said.

Had he heard him right? Had Ben told Abi she would make a good mother? Man, he was curious. This seizure didn't seem as bad. Well, he still in more pain than anyone should have to go through, maybe he was just getting used to it. Maybe he was distracted by the thought that Abi might be pregnant!

After a few more minutes, everything slowed down. "All over," Abigail whispered. Riley took a few minutes more to recover enough to sit up.

"Hey, guys," Riley said weakly. Ben and Abigail both looked at him expectantly. "I have a quick question, before I pass out." They nodded. "Are you pregnant, Abi?" They looked at each other, and burst out laughing, but instantly quieting down, realizing that other people were trying to sleep.

"Why do you ask?" she asked, intentionally avoiding the question.

"I don't know, long story. Now, tell me, are you? Is that why you guys are getting married?"

"Well, Ben, do you want to take this one?" Abigail grinned in spite of herself. Ben caught on.

"I guess." He paused. Riley raised his eyebrows, sighing. "If you must know. Wait, are you saying my fiancé looks pregnant?" he asked, pretending to be offended.

"What? No! She looks great," Riley defended.

"Okay, okay, Abigail," He paused again, "is not pregnant!" Ben and Abigail both laughed quietly at the look on their friend's face.

"Oh, I'm going to pass out from lack of sleep now," Riley said, leaning over again on his pillow. They were pretty sure he was out before he hit the pillow.

TBC


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: Sorry it took so long for an update. It seems like teachers insist on having all their projects due at the exact same time. Any-hoo, here's the next chapter.

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The next morning, everyone got up grudgingly. Today was the day. At ten o'clock, they would be safe, and their captors will be in the hands of the FBI. Hopefully… 

Ben was the first one up, and was pacing nervously. What if this thing didn't work? What if Ian got the treasure, and them too? It was his top priority to get Riley out, and safe. Who else would be the best man at his wedding?

"Hey Ben," Abigail started towards him. "You're going to wear a whole in the floor. Everything's going to work fine. I mean, we've got the president on our side." Ben nodded, glancing at the only person still peacefully asleep.

Riley was entirely tangled up in the blanket, and somehow, he'd flipped so his head was facing the other direction. Ben smiled. Even when the kid's asleep, he can't stop moving. "Riley, time to wake up," he said, kicking his friend gently. He must really be asleep. "Hey, get up." He nudged him harder. Still nothing. He knelt down next to Riley, and began to shake him. He was so pale.

"What's wrong?" Abigail asked, joining them. She put her hand on Riley's forehead. "He's burning up." This was not what they needed. Ben was trying to wake him up. Slowly, Abigail saw his eyelids flutter open, then close again.

She stroked his hair out of his face. "Riley, wake up. What's wrong?" His eyelids fluttered again, this time, staying open. He shook his head, as if trying to shake off a daze. He mumbled something incoherently, and Abigail nodded maternally. By this time, Emily and Patrick were standing around them.

"What's happening?" Patrick asked.

"He's got a fever. He's really out of it," Abigail said, not taking her eyes off her friend. Riley started to sit up. "Slow down." She guided Riley's head back to the pillow.

He opened his lips to speak again. "'m cold," he said weakly. Abigail then noticed that he was shaking. She pulled the blanket up around him.

Ian walked in the door, unaware of the situation. "What's this?" he asked.

"Nothing. He'll be fine," Ben said. He just wanted to get this over with. Ian clearly didn't believe him, but moved on.

"Get up, then. We are going to leave shortly." Ian left the room.

"Riley, can you walk?" Ben asked. He helped his delirious friend up, but the answer was clear. He was leaning entirely on Ben for support. They began to walk out the door. With every step, Riley was sinking closer and closer to the ground, no matter how hard Ben tried to hold him up. Ian led them out of the house to where there were four moving trucks parked out front.

"You guys will follow me. I'll drive one, and Aaron, Marcus, and Ben will drive the other three," Ian instructed. Aaron and Marcus headed for their separate trucks, but Ben, Abigail, Emily, Patrick, and Riley all stood still. "You guys are coming too," Ian said sarcastically. Ben began dragging Riley toward the truck he was to drive, and Ian laughed. "You won't all fit in one truck."

Ben knew where this was going. They would be split up, and that was definitely not good. "We'll all just get in the back of one of them."

"No, that won't work. Who wants Abigail?" he asked his henchmen. Aaron stepped forward and grabbed her arm. Ben was somewhat relieved. Of all the people he didn't want Abigail alone with, he was the one he feared the least. "Okay, Patrick, you're with Marcus, Emily, that means you're with your son."

Ben's stomach did a somersault. That leaves Riley with Ian. When everyone got into their respective trucks, Ben stayed put, with Riley leaning entirely on him for strength. Ian walked towards the truck at the front, but paused before getting with me. "Perhaps I didn't make that clear enough. That means that the kid's with me."

"Ben?" Riley asked, voice shaking. He looked up at his crutch with fearful eyes.

"It's gonna be okay. He wouldn't dare hurt you," Ben said, practically carrying Riley to the passenger side of Ian's truck. When he got him into the seat, he closed the door, sick with worry. Nothing could be done now though. He was on his own.

They drove out of the drive way, and towards New York. It was going to be a long three hours. (A/N: I think it's three hours from DC to New York City, if I remember correctly.)

"Ben," Emily said, quietly. "He'll be alright." Ben nodded, unable to speak he was so angry. They sat in silence, and all he could think of was Riley's face when he figured out that he would have to ride shotgun with their captor.

In Aaron's truck, Abigail was trying to convince Aaron that she wasn't mad at him. "I'm mad at Ian; you did your best to help."  
"I know, I just feel really bad," Aaron said. "I'm really sorry for what Ian is making you do. And your friend, he's real sick, isn't he?" Abigail nodded, not wanting to think about Riley. He was so weak.

Patrick was chewing Marcus out most of the way there. "Because of you, Riley could die. How are you gonna feel about that?" he said harshly.  
"Bad," Marcus answered, sincerely. Patrick picked up on this sincerity, and stopped yelling.  
"Are we almost there?" Patrick asked, nicely.

Riley leaned his head against the cold glass of the window. He was silently praying that he didn't have another seizure in this car. That would be bad. Ian would probably just watch and laugh. Maybe, if he could distract Ian enough, he would crash, and they would die. That's an idea. No, bad idea. Riley's heart sank when all the warnings of a seizure began to show themselves. His head jerked to the right, and in quick succession, all his muscles were contracting painfully.

Ian glanced over, but continued driving. There was nothing else he could do for him. He did feel bad. He might as well use it against Ben for as long as possible though. He picked up the radio that was hooked up to transmit to the other three trucks.

_"How's every one doing? The kid's not doing so hot. It seems that his epilepsy doesn't care that he's alone, and that no one's here to help him. He looks like he's in a lot of pain."_

Ben was sick. He picked up his radio, and answered him. _"Don't let this get any further, Ian. Pull over, and Riley will come with me."_

_"No, that's not going to happen. He'll be alright. Isn't that right, Riley? Well, he can't really talk right now, can he?" Ian said, menacingly._ The radio clicked off, and there was silence.


	8. Chapter 8

A/N: Here's the next chapter. I still don't own anything.

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Chapter 8

Man, this sucked, royally. And he didn't even have his friends to get him through it. All he had was the very nice seat belt to hold on for dear life to.

Ian kept driving, glancing sideways at Riley. It made it difficult to focus on the road. What with the kid holding the seat belt so hard his knuckles were white, and the pained look on his face. He was actually starting to pity the kid. Just keep driving.

Riley could feel everything slowing down, and he let go of the seat belt. It was over. Something was different though. He could feel his stomach churning, and he instantly became incredibly dizzy. Before he could do anything to stop himself, he threw up. It felt like he'd just thrown up his whole stomach, and everything hurt.

Ian swerved on the road, surprised. "What was that?" he yelled. "Idiot. I'm not going to do anything about it, just put your window down." Riley complied, like a hurt puppy. Ian sighed. The kid looked like crap. "Okay, there's a rest stop right up here. I'll stop." He got on the radio to inform the other trucks of the new plan.

They pulled off the road and into the rest stop. It was the most deserted place between DC to New York. Ben was up at Riley's door, carefully helping him out of the truck. He had to literally carry his sick friend over to a bench under a tree and set him down. Abigail was at his side, holding his head as he continued to throw up what ever he had left in his stomach. This was not good. "What happened?" she asked Ben.

"I have no idea. Is he still warm?" Abigail put the back of her hand on Riley's forehead.

"Yeah, I think the fever's higher too," she said, worried. Ian was looking at his watch. "We're going to have to go soon." Ben nodded.

"Riley?" he asked, getting right in front of his face. "Are you still with me?" He looked up at Ben with his blue eyes. His eyes were an even more shocking blue in contrast with the pale white of his skin. He nodded. "Are you gonna be alright?"

"Mmhmm," he answered weakly. Ian stalked over and roughly forced Riley up. He dragged him to the truck, and got him up to the seat. With out a word, everyone else got up into their trucks and they were on their way again.

"Are we there yet?" Riley asked, after a few minutes.

"No."

"Almost there?" he asked again.

"No. Why don't you go to sleep?" Ian said, annoyed. Riley nodded, and started drifting off.

When he woke again, it was dark. The clock said it was almost 10 am. Why was it dark? Oh crap, what if he was blind! Before he panicked too much, he noticed the lights flying past them. They must be in the Lincoln Tunnel.

"Good morning, princess," Ian said, noticing Riley stirring. "We're here." They pulled out into brilliant light. Riley smiled in spite of himself. He never got tired of this city. He hardly came here any more though.

Ian drove in silence through the crowded streets, until they came to the museum. He pulled off the road into the ally behind the building. Riley's stomach sank when he noticed the gun that he put into his belt. This was for real. They got out of the truck, and Riley found the wall for support. He was quickly joined by Ben, Abigail, Patrick, and Emily. They all exchanged nervous looks. Ian, Marcus, and Aaron were pulling on official looking jackets and hats. Riley got a wave of dizziness and slid down the wall, so that he was resting his head on his knees. Ian threw some of the jackets and hats towards them.

"Here we go. Ben, Patrick, you're going to come with us, and then we'll start loading up the treasure. We need the ID's." Riley reached in his pocket, and pulled out seven very real looking cards. Marcus grabbed them, and handed them out, throwing Emily, Abigail, and Riley's back at them. Ian led them into the back pick up door of the museum.

Then there was silence. Where was the FBI? "How you feeling, Riley?" Abigail asked. Riley mumbled something, not lifting his head. She took that to mean he was still breathing at least. They jumped when the door that they had just gone through burst open. Ian was running towards them.

"What did you DO?" he bellowed. Behind him, they saw Marcus being thrown down the stairs by men with guns. Ian ran towards Riley and picked him up, using him as a shield against the FBI.

"Let him go!" one of the officers shouted. Instead of complying, Ian pulled out the gun Riley had seen earlier.

"I'll shoot him! STAY BACK!" he yelled. Everything froze in that moment. There was a gun shot, and it seemed like forever before anyone knew who was hit. To everyone's relief, fell backwards, and Riley stumbled forward, hitting the ground as well.

"Riley!" Abigail ran towards him. He was curled up on the ground, but uninjured. The FBI officers felt for Ian's pulse, but there was none. He was dead. Ben, Emily, and Patrick were now outside, kneeling next to Riley.

"There's an ambulance on its way," one of the FBI guys informed them.

Riley was shaking uncontrollably now. Not like seizure shaking, more like he was freezing to death shaking. Abigail placed his head on her lap, and Ben and Patrick removed their matching jackets to place over him. No one really had anything to say, so relieved that everything turned out okay. Ben moved so Abigail could lean on him. She almost fell asleep when they heard a siren coming.

"Thank God," Emily breathed. She and Patrick were leaning against the wall. The ambulance pulled up, and the paramedics unloaded a gurney.

"It's all okay now, Riley," Abigail said, brushing his hair off his forehead. "We're saved!" Riley might have smiled, but she wasn't sure. He was completely out of it.

The paramedics rushed over, and everyone cleared away so they could work. While that team of medics was getting Riley onto the gurney, another ambulance had pulled up, and the paramedics were tending to Ben, Abigail, Patrick, and Emily.

When Abigail had been checked out, she walked over to Riley, who was making a fuss. It seems that the paramedic was trying to get an IV going, and Riley wouldn't let them. "No! I'm fine!" Riley whined, trying to stand up. When the medic tried to push him back down, he pushed harder. "Let me go!" Riley started freaking out. His eyes got all wide, and he began to panic. He curled up on his side, and started whimpering.

Abigail reached out to put her hand on his arm, but he pulled away. "Please don't hurt me!" he whimpered. He was delirious.

"Riley, it's me, Abigail," she said softly. He just shook his head, and mumbled incoherently. "The paramedics are trying to help you." He just ignored her. When the poor paramedic tried the IV again, he flipped out, and if he'd been at his normal strength, he would have knocked her down.

"Alex, we're going to have to sedate him," she said. The man who Abigail assumed was Alex stepped over, with a syringe in his hands. They flipped Riley so he was on his back. They held him, and Riley eyed the needle, panic in his eyes. With in seconds of injecting it, he was completely surreal and calm.

They closed the ambulance doors, and started towards the hospital. The paramedic managed to get the IV going, and Riley just lay there, staring at the ceiling. Abigail hated this. Riley isn't supposed to be like this. He should be saying something sarcastic right now. But he was just laying there, completely out of it, not himself.

It was a quick ride to the hospital, and when they got there, the wheeled Riley away, and Abigail was ushered towards the waiting room. After a few minutes, Patrick, Emily, and Ben joined her. They waited around for word.

After about an hour, a doctor in green scrubs came towards them. Ben stood up. "Is he alright?" he asked.

"Yes. He's stable, and his fevers down. We gave him his seizure medication, and everything's going well," the doctor said. "You can come see him." They followed him down the hall to a room on the right. There were two beds in it, one with Riley, and the other with a little girl. She was eating cherry pie.

"Hey Riley," Ben said, walking over to the bed. He was still pale.

"Hey guys," he answered, quietly. He smiled weakly, before glancing towards his roommate. "What are you eating?" he asked her. This was unlike him. They must have him on some serious pain killers or something. The little girl eyed him warily.

"Pie."

"What kind?" he persisted.

"Cherry."

"Oh. Are you gonna finish it?"

"Yeah," the little girl said slowly, annoyed.

"Oh," Riley said, disappointed. Ben chuckled.

"We'll go find you some pie, Riley. Stop pestering this poor girl," he said. He and Abigail stood up and left the room.

"Wait!" Riley called. They turned around and walked back.

"What?"

"Can you find the Lion King too, so I can watch it?" he asked. They laughed and left the room.

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A/N: I know, everything worked out annoyingly well. But that's okay, i think. That's all though! No more... for now...


End file.
